We made it! 9 hours after arriving at the Austin airport, we touched down in New Jersey. Peter's first statement as we approached the runway?
Peter: I see the Hudson River!
Mommy: Peter, there are no rivers down there.
Peter: Well, where is the Hudson River?
Andrew had told him to ask Grandpa to show him the Hudson River. Peter has a friend named Hudson, so he's interested to see the river that has the same name.
The trip was long, but the kids did a great job!! My grandpa dropped us off at the airport at 9am. Peter thought it was really cool that he brought us, but he he was a little confused why Poppy had to go back home instead of getting on the plane with us. Check-in was a breeze, and the security line was short. Danielle is really into shoes these days, so taking off her shoes to go through security was quite disturbing to her. She was saying shoes over and over trying to tell me to please put them back on her. I started showing her how no one else could wear their shoes either. As I pointed at each person in the line to show her that they were also barefoot or in socks, many of them helped me out and stuck their feet out for Danielle to see that indeed, no one was wearing shoes. It was nice for them to play along. :)
The plane was delayed a little, so we had plenty of time to explore the Austin airport. We walked around a bit. The Austin airport is pretty small, so that didn't take long. Peter found an area that had a couple of steps, so he spent quite a bit of time jumping and using up lots of energy. Once we had seen all there was to see, I put the kids in the stroller and walked back to the gate with promises of snacks.
Upon arrival to Gate 10, we noticed a lady and her dog sitting in the pre-board area. I explained to the kids that the dog was a working dog - he was helping his owner to see because her eyes weren't able to see - and they should not go play with him. Well, the kind lady heard me, and she invited the kids to come pet the dog. The dog was extremely friendly and licked both kids over and over. It was a neat experience for the kids to interact with a blind person and their seeing-eye dog.
Southwest Airlines just started flying into Newark last March, so we decided to try them instead of Continental. I was a little nervous about not being able to pre-board, but it worked out just fine. Southwest boards the entire A group first. Then they have Family Boarding. That allows families traveling with children under the age of 4 to board before the B and C groups. Once on board, seats are not assigned. For us, this was a good thing. I wanted the very back of the plane, and we were able to have the back row on both flights!
The first leg of our trip was quick and uneventful. We were only in the air about 40 minutes total - not even enough time for snacks or drinks! The plane was packed, so Danielle stayed on my lap the entire time. The man who sat in our row introduced himself as Mr. Lance to the kids as soon as he sat down. He was very friendly and didn't mind the kids being a bit noisy.
We had a 2 hour layover in Houston. We stopped by the bathrooms, explored Hobby Airport, and then found apple juice at a little store and lunch at Wendy's. Upon arrival at our gate, Peter discovered the cutest little table. There were several at each gate, and they were just the right size for the kids to eat at. There were two empty seats already, and a man offered us his seat. Another family with two boys (elementary age) was also sitting there. As we ate, Peter enjoyed talking to the boys and telling them all about the free apps they could put on their new iPod touches they had gotten for their birthday. Everything Peter knows about apps for iPods came from Aunt Amy, and I was really impressed at the way he described various games.
At one point, they started calling for passengers on a flight to Dallas to line up and begin loading. I told Peter to stay sitting down so he didn't try to get on the flight. He questioned why, and I told him that the plane was going to Dallas, and we were going to New Jersey. He again asked why, and I told him that we didn't have a reason to go to Dallas. Our family was waiting for us in New Jersey. He proceeded to tell me that my friend Michelle lives in Dallas, so yes, we did have someone to visit there. He had a point.
After enjoying the Houston airport for 2 hours, we finally loaded the plane for Newark. It was a packed flight, so someone once again joined us on the back row. I don't remember his name, but he was so friendly with both of the kids. This flight was 3.5 hours, and I was so sure the kids would sleep. I was so wrong!! Neither of them slept a wink!! We stayed occupied by watching LeapFrog, Backyardigans, and Yo Gabba Gabba
We landed in Newark around 7pm with two tired kids and one tired mommy. We had a good trip overall - I'm really proud of the kids and how well they behaved. Now for a fun 12 days in New Jersey!!
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